


Safe in your arms

by AvatarMeka2000



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mention of Prime, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28031085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvatarMeka2000/pseuds/AvatarMeka2000
Summary: Catra has a nightmare. Luckily, she has an amazing girlfriend to pull her out of it.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 77





	Safe in your arms

**Author's Note:**

> My works used to be part of a full book of oneshots, but because of a suggestion, I decided to split them all up into their own separate works :)

Catra sprinted down the hall. Darkness creeped up the walls. A sickly green glow covered the floor beneath her feet. Dread and fear clenched her chest, as if she were waiting for something to grab her. With every corner she turned, it seemed as though she ended up back where she has just been. 

The sound of footsteps followed Catra, but when she looked behind her, there was nothing there. Only the creeping darkness and the green glow everywhere she looked. 

"All beings must suffer to become pure. All beings must suffer to become pure."

The sudden chanting seemed to surround her, bouncing off the high walls. Catra's head whipped around, trying to find anyone, anything. Nothing. The chanting and footsteps grew louder, but her feet was stuck to the floor. Her heart felt as if it would pop out of her chest. Catra fell to her knees, clutching her ears, trying to block out the sound. The chanting was almost deafening. 

Then suddenly she felt something wet underneath her legs. Opening her eyes, she gasped, springing to her feet. Water. Water everywhere. It was green and glowing, and rising quickly. 

Where was it coming from? No matter. She had to get out of there. Catra looked up. Her heart stopped for a second when she realized there were no hallways. Only four walls surrounding her. She was trapped. The water was at her knees, cold as ice. Catra backed up. Her back suddenly hit the wall. She watched as the water rose higher and higher. 

"Come into the light, Little sister." The familiar robotic voice rang out. 

"Let go."

Catra's eyes watered as she realized there was no escaping this. She wouldn't get out. She wouldn't get to go home. She would never get to see Adora again, apologize to her, tell her she loved her. 

Catra tilted her head up as the water creeped up her chest, then her neck. 

"Let go, little sister", was the last thing she heard as the water rose above her head, darkness taking over her vision.

"CATRA!"

Catra shot up, what felt like a scream tearing out of her throat. Her eyes shot open. Her panic-filled mind didn't recognize her surroundings, causing her to panic even more. It was dark, except no green glow. Suddenly she saw something move out of the corner of her eyes. Prime. Catra jumped onto the floor, scrambling back until her back was against the wall. She could feel her mouth moving, but her ears felt like they were filled with water. Nothing made sense. It was all so confusing and muffled.

Catra desperately tried to breathe, but she couldn't get in enough, her lungs burning. 

Was she drowning?? She was dying and water was surrounding her. 

Suddenly a figure caught her attention. Adora. What was Adora doing here?? She could die too! 

However, Adora didn't seem to be struggling. She was standing a good distance away, her hands up in a non-threatening manner, concern and fear on her face. 

Catra wanted to run to her, cling to her. She needed to know that Adora was really there. However, fear held Catra in place. This could all be a trick. An illusion to torture her. 

Catra felt her claws unsheathe, ready if the illusion attacked. Adora's mouth was moving, but Catra couldn't hear what she was saying. She couldn't focus, her blood rushing in her ears, blocking out all outside sounds. 

Adora stepped closer, her hands still visible. Catra let out a growl, warning her to stay back.  
Adora paused.

This confused Catra. Why wasn't she being attacked? Nothing happened for a few seconds. Then Adora knelt down on the floor. Her mouth kept moving, her voice still muffled. Catra watched her, trying to figure out what was going on. 

Then suddenly it was as if a knob had been twisted and her hearing returned slowly. Adora's voice slowly grew louder until Catra could hear her perfectly. 

"You're safe, Catra. It was just a nightmare."

Hearing Adora's voice, Catra started to sob. It was all too much for her. She bowed her head, the tears silently streaming down her face. 

"Catra?" 

Catra looked up, to see Adora kneeling just out of arms reach of her. 

"Breathe. Remember your breathing exercises." Adora reminded her.

Adora started to inhale and exhale dramatically. Catra copied her breathing. The burning in her lungs slowly faded, air finally get in and out of them. Catra gulped in air for a few seconds before Adora led her back to the breathing pattern. 

The two of them sat there, gentle breathing filling the room. Catra's mind cleared up. The panic mostly faded, only a lingering sense of danger and shock was left. 

Catra broke down into sobs. She couldn't understand why she was crying again, but she couldn't stop. She wrapped her arms around herself, a habit she had adopted as a child. It helped her keep herself from completely falling apart, or at least she felt like that's why she did it. Catra sniffled. The heavy feeling in her chest weighed her down. It was nearly heavy enough to keep her on the floor. 

The tears kept coming, balancing out the heaviness she felt. Just barely, though. She needed something more. Something physical to help stop the emotions raging a war inside her. Pain.

Catra took a hand and swiped her claws down her opposite arm, scraping the skin enough to where it stung. Catra hissed in pain, but found the heaviness in her chest become slightly lighter. 

She went to do it again, but a firm yet gentle hand grabbed her wrist. Catra's head snapped up, coming eye to eye with Adora.

"Stop it." Adora commanded, her voice breaking.

Adora had tears in her eyes. She was upset. But why? 

"You're hurting yourself. Don't do that."

Catra tried to make her voice work, but nothing came out but garbled noises and sobs. She paused. She cleared her scratched throat, attempting again to use her voice.

"A'ora."

The crack in her voice made Adora look even more concerned.

"Would you like some water??" Adora offered, her voice gentle, but full of emotion.

Catra thought it'd be a good idea. Her throat hurt like hell. She nodded. Adora released her wrists. Catra panicked, thinking Adora was leaving. Her hands grabbed Adora's arm, a guttural, whine-like noise escaping from her throat. Adora looked back at her. When she realized the reason behind Catra's sudden reaction, she was quick to comfort her. Her hands gently pried Catra's off of her arm, holding them in her own. 

"Hey, shhh, it's alright. You wanna come with me?"

Catra's body relaxed slightly. She nodded, looking down at the floor, embarrassed by her sudden clinginess. Why was she being such a bother? 

Catra was suddenly being lifted off the ground. She grasped at Adora, not wanting to be dropped. She looked up to see Adora softly smiling at her as they made their way out of the room and into the dimly lit hallway of Brightmoon Palace.

"I've gotcha. You know I won't drop you."

Catra would be lying if she said she didn't like being held by Adora. It always made her feel a sense of safety she couldn't get anywhere else. They were muscular, strong and firm around her much smaller body.

She trusted Adora to keep her safe. So, she laid her head on Adora's chest, and let her carry her down to the castle's kitchen. The castle was quiet, the only people in the halls were the guards. Catra couldn't help but wonder if any of them had heard the ruckus she made. 

Adora used her back to push open the door to the kitchen open. She flicked on the light. Catra's sensitive eyes squeezed shut for a moment, adjusting to the brightness. She buried her face into Adora's shirt, as if on instinct. 

She felt Adora hum humorously. A gentle scratch by her right ear encouraged her to pull away. Catra felt a cold, flat surface under her rear. She looked around her. The kitchen countertop. She looked at Adora.

"You want water or something else?" Adora asked, leaning against the counter, her arms wrapped loosely around Catra's waist. "I know I asked before we walked down here, but if you want to drink something else, that's fine too."

Catra shrugged, too exhausted to care.

"Water is fine."

Adora whispered an ok, pressing her lips to Catra's forehead. The kiss lingered before Adora pulled away, going to get Catra's drink. Catra stared at the floor, listening to the sound Adora moving about. The cold of the night air clung to her fur. She welcomed the slight tremors that shook her body. It was a nice distraction from the unwelcome memories in her head. A glass and a hand was suddenly in her line of sight, shaking her out of her trance. 

Catra looked up. Adora stared back at her, waiting. Catra's heterochromatic eyes snapped back to the glass of water being held out towards her. With slightly shaky hands, Catra grasped the glass, raising it to her dry lips. She took her time, sipping on the water, Adora standing there, drinking her own glass of milk. 

The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Maybe a little tense with concern radiating off of Adora in waves, but nothing worth mentioning in Catra's opinion.

When they finished their drinks, Catra's throat felt much less scratchy and she finally found her voice.

"Thanks." She said. 

Adora smiled at her. "No need to thank me, baby. C'mon. Let's head back to the room."

Catra lifted her arms without thinking. Adora didn't comment on the way Catra clung to her when Adora picked her up and carried her back to the room. Catra gently purred the whole way back.

Once back in their shared bedroom, Catra stopped purring, her eyes immediately scanning the room, her body tensing up in Adora's arms. Adora frowned. She walked over to the bed. She set Catra down on the mattress, rubbing her arm, trying to soothe her.

"You're ok, kitten. I promise."

Adora climbed onto the bed, sitting beside Catra, continuing to rub her back. Catra was silent for a bit, staring off into space. She knew Adora was worried about her and she knew she should talk to her about the nightmare, but she couldn't get herself to talk.

"You wanna talk about it??" Adora's voice broke the silence. 

Catra's ear twitched, indicating she heard her.

Catra nodded subtly. 

Adora stared at her, as if trying to piece together a puzzle.

"Was it about Prime?" She guessed.

Catra nodded. Just the mention of his name was enough to cause her eyes to water again. Catra didn't think she was able to cry more than she did, but she was always full of surprises.

A tear slipped down her face. Bits of memories flashes before her eyes. Catra hid her face in her hands, a low whine coming from her. She opened her mouth and exhaled loudly.

"I was..... there. Water was rising.... I was running from his goons... and then.... was trapped. I was drowning again. The chanting. I was alone. Scared. Wanted to see you again and say sorry but I was trapped there. Green everywhere."

Her hand went to the back of her neck, feeling for the chip. Only the slightly raised scar from the chip extraction was left on her skin. 

Adora reached out, placing her hand on top of Catra's, pulling it away from her neck.

"It's alright, Catra. I'm here and you're safe now. He's dead now."

Catra sniffled and nodded. 

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

Adora's brows furrowed, confused.

"For what?"

Catra bowed her head.

"Everything. For being the reason you even had to go back there after Sparkles was safe. You didn't have to feel like you had to save me. I was ok with staying there. It's the least I deserved."

Adora sucked in a sharp breath. 

"No."

Adora reached out, her calloused hands cupping Catra's face. She raised Catra's head up so they made eye contact.

"That's not true. I saved you because you didn't deserve to be chipped and forced to do things against your will. You don't deserve death. You deserve to be safe and happy and loved, and you are. You're safe now, and I won't let anyone hurt you like that again."

Catra stared at her girlfriend, unsure how to respond. She purses her lips together, simply leaning her face into Adora's hand, relishing in the contact. Self worth was something she had a hard time grasping. After everything she did in the war, she truly didn't believe she was worthy of love or feeling safe. As a child, it had been burnt into her brain that she didn't deserve anything good, and never would. It was a strange concept to understand. Adora, with Perfuma's guidance, had also started her own journey of self love and was much better at that now, surprisingly. 

Especially since Catra was there to remind her of her worth and her not needing to be of use to someone in order to deserve love. However, when it came to Catra, she turned away all compliments and friendly gestures that she received, not believing them right away to be genuine. If she was honest, Catra was still waiting for the day Adora would get upset with her and hit her. She deserved it, but everyone else said otherwise. Adora had promised her that she'd never lay a hand on her and so far, has kept that promise. Catra was still waiting for it to happen, though. Probably always would be waiting for it. 

The gentle movement of the thumb rubbing her cheek calmed her, reassuring her safety. Adora leaned her forehead against Catra's.

"It's gonna be ok. You're safe and you're here and I love you. I'm never letting you go, unless you want me to. I'll always love you and I don't blame you for anything you did in the past. No one here does anymore. You just need to learn to forgive yourself. It's hard to do that, I know. It's complicated and confusing, but you'll feel so much better once you do. Until that day comes, I'll be right there, keeping you safe. I'm not going anywhere. It's gonna be ok. Maybe not today, but someday."

Catra pulled away enough to look Adora in the eyes.

"Promise?"

Adora smiled. 

"I promise."

Catra felt the dark heaviness in her fade. It would be back, like always, but for now, it was gone. Catra's body sagged. Exhaustion had taken it's place. 

Her eyelids felt heavy. She closed her eyes, letting her head rest in Adora's hands. She heard Adora coo, hearing the smile in her voice.

"Wanna try and go back to sleep?"

Catra nodded as best she could manage. She was pulled over, the covers draped over her body. Catra lied down, a soft surface under her head. Arms wrapped around her, holding her securely. Adora's scent filled her nose, immediately relaxing her. 

Catra snuggled into the older girl's body, taking in her body heat. Fingers raked over the spot behind her ears, causing a soft purr to come out of her. Catra's eyes slipped closed, exhaustion taking over. 

"I love you." Adora whispered, her mouth against the top of Catra's head. 

Catra hummed. 

"Love you too." 

With that, Catra fell into a deep sleep, all nightmares kept away. They couldn't get to her now that she was safe in Adora's arms. She was sure of that.


End file.
